Join Vegetate next Tuesday, June 2nd, from 6-8 pm for a special happy hour with Chef Bryant Terry. Chef Terry will discuss and sign copies of his new book Vegan Soul Kitchen, and and provide sample dishes from the new book.
Proceeds from sales of the book as well as a special cocktail created by Chef Terry will go to the Capital Area Food Bank.
Join Compassion Over Killing for a free vegetarian dinner and presentation by Bruce Friedrich, Vice President of PETA and co-author of the newly-released book, The Animal Activist’s Handbook. Friedrich will discuss ways each us can be more effective advocates for animals and how to engage in persuasive and meaningful conversations about animal rights. The Handbook is a guide for anyone who wants to make a real, significant difference in the world. Friedrich, who joined PETA’s staff in 1996, has been a progressive and animal activist for more than two decades.
The event is free and open to everyone! Vegan dinner will be provided.
WHERE: Mt. Pleasant Library at 3160 16th St., N.W., D.C.
METRO: Columbia Heights Metro station on the green and yellow lines
WHEN: Monday, June 8 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
NEXT DRINK: May 28, 2009 from 7pm-9pm
WHERE: Bread & Brew, 1247 20th Street, NW, Washington DC 20036
METRO: Dupont Circle
ARE YOU COMING?: RSVP {facebook} or EMAIL ME
OTHER INFO: Bread & Brew is NOT a 21 and over place so you youngin’s are welcome. Happy Hour will be extended to 9pm. Happy Hour drink specials are $3.00 rail drinks (rum, vodka, tequila & gin), all drafts and bottled beer are $1.00 off as well. On the menu: Curried Vegetable samosas, stuffed mushrooms, fried bean churros and Mediterranean plates are some of the appetizers the Eugene is planning to make for DC Vegan Drinks night.
Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield’s Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms’ Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising—and often shocking truths—about what we eat, how it’s produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.
http://www.foodincmovie.com
Where it’s playing
10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Fairfax Station, VA. Learn about soy and its derivatives including tofu, tempeh, miso, TVP, shoyu/tamari, and soy milk. Past classes have included some of the following: roasted soy nuts, organic soy milk smoothies, edamame hummus, miso tahini spread, miso soup, tofu boursin cheese, tempeh salad, tempeh Reuben, TVP meatloaf, marinated baked tofu, breaded tofu, tofu nuggets, soy 2-way chili, Thai tofu curry, fudgesicles, chocolate mousse.
No meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, or honey. $50/person; $90/two people; $45/VSDC, VRG, COK members. Classes include recipes, organic food samples, manufacturers’ samples, and coupons. Gift certificates available. Make checks payable to Mimi Clark , 9302 Hallston Ct., Fairfax Station, VA 22039. Sorry, no phone reservations. Seventy-two hour cancellation policy for refund or credit. Class subject to cancellation if minimum enrollment is not met. Email veggourmet@aol.com or call 703.643.2713 for space availability.
Coming up: Salads/Picnics/BBQs
Mimi Clark, “Veggie Gourmet,” has been teaching vegan cooking classes for the past 18 years. She has contributed recipes to several natural foods cookbooks, and is currently developing recipes for natural food manufacturers. Her vegan Chocolate Orange Mousse and Key Lime pies are featured at The Vegetable Garden restaurant, Rockville, MD. http://www.thevegetablegarden.com.
Wheeler del Torro, author of The Vegan Scoop http://theveganscoop.com , will be hosting a book signing/discussion/ice cream sampling (in some cases) at the following venues in June:
Friday, June 5 : Book signing/ice cream sampling fund raiser for The Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine (PRCM.org) at Sticky Fingers Bakery, 1370 Park Rd. NW, Washington, D.C., 6 – 8 p.m. 202-299-9700. Wheeler will donate a portion of the proceeds from book sales to PCRM.
Friday, June 12 : Book signing/ice cream sampling at Barnes & Noble, Owings Mills/Pikesville, Baltimore, MD. 7 p.m. 410-415-5758
Saturday, June 13 : Book signing/ice cream sampling fund raiser for Compassion Over Killing (COK.org) at Barnes & Noble, Rockville, MD. 3:30 p.m. Wheeler will match a portion of the proceeds from book sales for donation to COK.
Friday, June 19 : Book signing/discussion at Barnes & Noble, Reston, VA. 7 p.m. 703-437-9390
Saturday, June 20: Book signing/ice cream sampling at Barrnes & Noble, Power Plant, Baltimore, MD. 1 p.m. 410-385-1709
A fellow turns to his friend and says, “Have you heard that vegans have really poor eyesight?”
“Oh,” his friend replies. “I suppose that’s from some nutritional deficiency?”
“Nope. It’s because they spend so much time reading the fine print on ingredient lists.”
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Vegans! Stop reading and start eating! You don’t need to read a long complicated ingredient list for possibly animal-derived ingredients like stearic acid, gum base, and the ubiquitous and mysterious “natural flavors.” One way to ensure that you are only eating cruelty-free foods is by only buying things that are marked with the Certified Vegan Logo… Or, uh, you could eat more whole fruits and vegetables, right?
So go forth, DC*Vegans, to your many area farmer’s markets, and buy fruits and vegetables! Yes, it can often be a little more expensive to buy local and independent, but if you are flexible and friendly, you can also get some great deals! I made good friends with a few farmers at the Brookland Farmer’s Market last year and reaped some serious benefits. My market tips:
1) Go with an open mind. If you don’t already have a set menu, you can choose the freshest produce available and base your week’s cooking on whatever you buy. There is a greater supply of fruits and vegetables that are in season, so therefore they should be the ripest, the tastiest, and theoretically a bit less expensive.
2) Ask for a deal at the end of the day. The farmers don’t want to schlep that stuff back home! If you are willing to take a large quantity, your farmer will likely give you a good deal. My neighbors have gotten a chuckle more than once watching me lug home a 40-pound box of tomatoes on my bike, but man, what a bargain!
3) Choose something new and different. Your farmer will likely give you a taste if you ask for it, so don’t be afraid to buy something you’ve never had before. My farmer offered me a sample of Concord grapes last autumn and suggested I make grape jelly… So why not? I bought three boxes for the price of two, took ‘em home, and made my first homemade jelly.
4) Get to know your grower. It is really special to be familiar with the hands who planted and nurtured your vegetables, but you can also get a bargain this way. Being a repeat customer and having a friendly face makes you more likely to get you a discount. Go often, introduce yourself, and tell your farmer what you made with the produce you bought from her last week– she will appreciate it!
5) Ask about “seconds.” These are fruits and vegetables that aren’t quite perfect; perhaps they have bruises, dents, or rough spots. But if you are willing to cut off the bad spots and process them ASAP, you can make a lot of great things! I am especially fond of tomatoes for sauces, purees, and gazpacho, but I’ve also bought lots of fruits to make applesauce, sorbets, and smoothies.
6) Bring your own bags. Duh. Not only is it a no-brainer for living green, but some farmers now charge for bags, so bring your own canvas or cloth bags along with some plastic bags for the wet or dirty stuff. In fact, bring a few extra plastic bags for your neighbor who forgot to bring his cloth bags!
Be sure to check the Washington Post’s list of 2009 Farmer’s Markets to find the closest market to you. And go shop!
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So why did the vegan cross the road?
Well, if she crossed Florida Avenue at 1st St. NW on Sunday morning, it was to go to the Bloomingdale Farmer’s Market, but errr, I think the funnier response is: Because she was protesting for the chicken, MAN! (Pump fist in air for emphasis)
Seriously, I’m a sucker for ridiculous humor…
Point your browser to Vegetus and Happy Cow for more veg*n jokes. Tee hee!
Celebrate Memorial Day with a sampling of some of D.C.’s best musical talent and support COK at the same time! Möbius Strip, The Jet Age, and The Wax Standard will be rocking out at the Black Cat on Mon., May 25, and 50% of ticket sales will be automatically donated towards our efforts to help animals.
WHERE: The Black Cat, 1811 14th St., N.W., DC
METRO: U St./Cardozo Metro station on the yellow and green lines.
WHEN: Monday, May 25 Doors open at 8:00 p.m.
DC*Vegans, we’re coming up on Memorial Day! Which means the arrival of summer– warm weather, paddle boats on the Potomac, cookouts in Rock Creek Park, and if you’re lucky, heading out to the Chesapeake for sailing or some time at the beach. Your omni friends may be grilling burgers and organizing seafood boils, but you certainly don’t have to miss out! Trust our genius Isa Chandra Moskowitz to create the next amazing dish– she may be Brooklyn-born, but her Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes say Maryland and Virginia! I was never a huge fan of seafood way back in my omni days, but I am a native Virginian, so perhaps I have a certain amount of inherent expertise on “crab” cakes?… Well perhaps not, but please subject yourself to my opinions and experiences anyway:
I made these this past weekend for my bandmates and my lovely roommate. I put together the mixture them Saturday evening, then dredged and cooked them Sunday morning rehearsal, and they were a hit! I had to add a little bit of water to make them stick together after they sat in the fridge overnight, but they held together very nicely with the additional moisture. I’ve always been a little hesitant to make “meatalikes” for omnis, but no one was freaked out by the concept at all, and in fact, the whole group really enjoyed them. The lone vegetarian in the group said he loved the cakes but that the remoulade was what really made the dish. And I agree– I have always hated mayo, vegan or otherwise, but I really liked the sauce (mmmm, capers). The drummer showed up late and said his had dried out a bit, so let that be a lesson: serve ‘em as fresh as possible. Of course I had told my friends that these “crab” cakes were vegan, but I didn’t go into too much detail about the Indonesian fermented soybean product they were made from… never had too much luck explaining tempeh to omnis, wasn’t going to start this time. Eh, ignorance is bliss!
I haven’t bought my copy of Moskowitz’s Vegan Brunch yet, but after my success with this recipe, I certainly will! Who already owns this book? What other recipes do you recommend?
Join Compassion Over Killing and GreenVeganNetworking for a free vegetarian meal and presentation on The World Peace Diet by author Dr. Will Tuttle.
The World Peace Diet explores how our individual and collective foods choices are leading to environmental degradation, enormous human health problems, and unimaginable cruelty toward our fellow creatures. This powerful book will further empower you to reconnect with what you’re eating and to begin making a positive transformation today.
Dr. Will Tuttle is an award-winning speaker, educator, author, and musician. The event is free and open to everyone!
WHERE: Greenbelt Library at 11 Crescent Rd., Greenbelt, Md.
WHEN: Saturday May 23 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
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